Everything You Ever Wanted
by Emachinescat
Summary: Drake reminisces...One devastating day, a 10 year old Drake wakes up to find his father gone.


Everything You Ever Wanted by Emachinescat

A Drake & Josh Fan-Fiction

SUMMARY: Drake reminisces…One devastating day, a 10-year-old Drake wakes up to find his father gone. A look into my version of what happened with Drake and his real dad. Song fic to Hawk Nelson's 'Everything You Ever Wanted.'

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**A/N: ****I don't know what actually happed w/Josh's mom in the series, but, for the story's sake, I'm going to say she died of cancer when Josh was 5, even if it is a bit AU— Bold italics are the song—This is very closely based on what happened to me about three years ago. It's a painful story to write, but it demonstrates how horrible it can be when a parent does something like this to their child… **

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**Everything You Ever Wanted**

**_I walk the line, leave it all behind, I've been waiting forever. Let's go back in time, when I could read your mind. Still, I've been waiting. It took the seasons going by to know it's not my fault. I tried to be perfect, tried to be honest, tried to be everything that you ever wanted. I tried to be stronger, tried to be smarter, tried to be everything but you…_**

"Hey, Drake." Seventeen-year-old Drake Parker glanced up from his guitar as his stepbrother, Josh Nichols, entered the room, a solemn expression on his face.

"'Sup, Josh?" Drake said quietly, and, without waiting for an answer, plucked several more strings on his instrument.

"Hey, Drake?"

Drake rolled his eyes, exasperated, and snapped, "What is it, Josh? I'm busy."

Josh shrugged. "Sorry. Mom told me to let you know that your dad called."

Drake paled. "What?" He sat his instrument aside, his motions jerky.

Josh winced at his brother's reaction. "Yeah, man, your dad called. He…he wanted to talk to you. But mom told him you were busy."

Drake cursed under his breath. "What business does he have calling me?" he snapped, getting up and setting his guitar moodily onto his bed.

"Could it be that he's your dad?" Josh suggested, only half-joking.

Drake smirked. "Ha, ha, funny, Josh."

"I'm serious, Drake. I don't know much about you and your dad's relationship…but could it be that maybe he's trying to patch things up?"

Drake snorted, and busied himself in the corner of the room, randomly stacking magazines on a shelf, not paying much attention to what he was doing. With a swift motion, his shaking hands knocked Josh's perfect attendance trophy to the floor, where it landed with a crash. Drake mumbled an apology, and picked it up.

"Man, what is up with you and your dad? I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but…"

Drake sank onto the couch, sighing. "My dad…my dad had problems, Josh. Still does, for that matter."

"You wanna talk about it?" Josh asked gently, tentatively taking a seat beside his stepbrother.

"I don't know…yeah…yeah, maybe I do." Drake smiled sheepishly and looked at his feet. "You know, I don't usually talk about this…to anyone. Not mom, not Megan. She was too young to remember any of this, anyway."

"Oh, right. So, uh, what exactly happened?"

"I was ten years old, and I woke up in the middle of the night to hear my parents screaming at each other. I woke up the next morning, and he was gone. He left during the night, taking every single thing that belonged to him." Drake paused, and Josh saw a mist form over the latter's eyes. "Man, my dad used to be, like, my best friend. We'd go to the park, play ball, hang out…he told me…he told me after the divorce was final, everything would be the same."

"But it wasn't?"

Drake shook his head. "No, Josh. Not at all."

**_You told me once, you'd show up, but I fell for that before, I fell to pieces. Then I woke up to no one, just a picture of Jesus in a house left in pieces. It took the seasons going by to know it's not my fault. I tried to be perfect, tried to be honest, tried to be everything that you ever wanted. I tried to be stronger, tried to be smarter, tried to be everything but you…_**

"At first, it was okay. I visited him a lot, and things were almost normal. Then one day, I was visiting his apartment, and this woman dropped by. I'd never seen her before. My—my dad—" Drake stuttered, a single tear sliding down his face, "—Dad told me he'd never seen her before."

"It was a lie, wasn't it?" Josh asked compassionately.

Drake nodded slowly. "I found out less than a month later that it was his…it was his girlfriend. He'd been cheating on Mom. That was the reason for the divorce."

"Man, I can't imagine," Josh muttered. "My parents always loved each other, right up until the day Mom died in the hospital from Leukemia. I was only five at the time, but even then, I knew they cared about each other. I don't think Dad ever truly loved again until he met your mom. I don't know, dude. Maybe you're lucky to have both parents."

Drake scowled. "Like I actually have a dad. You know, if that's really why he called, to patch things up, he's in for a sorry surprise."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I tried to get along with him. I tried not to blame myself for his leaving. I tried to make things work. But he wouldn't listen to reason. He said if I wasn't going to accept Charlene—his girlfriend—then I could just stay with my mom."

Josh's eyes widened. "That's awful."

Drake nodded. "Yeah. It nearly killed me. I tried to come and not complain for a while, but…I couldn't. It wasn't that Charlene was mean, but she was just…just…"

"Not your mom."

"Not my step mom, either," Drake said fervently. "For the longest time, I called her my dad's friend."

"I guess they got married, didn't they?"

Drake nodded again. "Without telling me. He just went off and did it, then came back and told me about it, saying he didn't think I'd want to go to the wedding. Well, of course I didn't, but…"

"But you would've liked to know about it."

"Yeah." Drake wiped his eyes, and sat up straight, a look of determination evident on his face. "But you know what? I don't care anymore. I don't want to patch things up. I don't want to see him again. See, eventually, I stopped coming. Then, I stopped calling. Finally, I stopped caring."

**_I wanted you, I need you, I want to believe you. I wanted you, I need you, I wanted to believe you. I tried to perfect, tried to be honest, tried to be everything but you…_**

"Did you really?" Josh asked softly.

Drake nodded his head, and then screwed up his face in an effort to stay calm. "I don't know," he admitted, his voice shaking. "I really don't know, Josh. Gosh, he hurt me, bro. He hurt me bad."

"I know. You know, you may have stopped going to his place, and you may have stopped calling, but I don't think you really ever stopped caring."

Drake didn't answer, but buried his face in his hands and began to sob. Josh put his arm around his brother's shoulders. They sat there, two stepbrothers sharing a tender moment, reliving the painful past. Drake looked up at Josh, tears streaming down his face. His brother was right. He never stopped caring.

**_I tried to be perfect, tried to be honest, tried to be everything that you ever wanted. I tried to be stronger, tried to be smarter, tried to be everything but you…_**

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**A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review-I need feedback! Also, as for right now, this story is complete, but if you think it should be continued, please let me know. If enough people want it continued, then I will! Thanks!**

**All characters (c) by Nick**

**"Everything You Ever Wanted" written by Hawk Nelson and Trevor McHaven, (c) by Tooth & Nail Records.**

**This is for all you kids out there who've had your world ripped apart.**

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**~Emachinescat ^..^**


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